Beth Immanuel

In the fifth century B.C.E., Ezra and the Men of the Great Assembly composed a prayer consisting of eighteen blessings known as the Amidah(Hebrew) literally, "standing"; a central and very ancient prayer in traditional Jewish liturgy, or standing prayer. The Amidah is given this name because it is prayed while standing, and is also known as Shemoneh Esrei (eighteen), or Tefillah (The Prayer). Three times each day, observant Jews pray the Amidah, offering praise to God for who He is, and laying their requests before Him. Jesus and his disciples would have prayed and earlier form of the Amidah when in the Temple and synagogues. On the Sabbath, the eighteen blessings are reduced to seven to avoid making certain types of requests of God on the day of rest.